The friendly Lance
by Doc Lee
Summary: First foray into Arrow. Set after 2x08. A one shot about Quentin Lance and Oliver's interactions after a character is slightly dinged up. Enjoy.


Despite life being a Bit hectic this month (driving over 2000 miles in 12 days in three different countries (for a Birthday party and to stand on an Aircraft Carrier)), my brain has been bugging me to write something for Arrow. I've been hooked since the pilot and consider the show as one of the best shows of 2013.

One thing that has taken seat in my head is Quentin Lance and how he must know by now who the Arrow is. This one shot takes place after 2:08 'State Vs Queen' and, obviously, there are spoilers up to that episode.

DISCLAIMER- The people that own Arrow are the people that own Arrow. I am not one of those people.

* * *

Quentin Lance was no idiot, despite what certain billionaires assumed. Walking down the hospital corridor, he winced as he spotted Lt Pike glaring at him.

'What the hell do you think you're doing here Officer?'

Quentin ignored how his boss spat the title out Insultingly, 'I have known Oliver Queen since he was knee high to a grasshopper and I've gotten to know Felicity Smoak through him. I need to know that she is okay.'

'Detective?' John Diggle approached, a grim look on his face as he addressed Lance by his former title, 'thank you for coming. If you can follow me.'

Stepping around Pike, Quentin followed the larger man down the corridor, 'I heard over the radio and came straight here. How is she?'

'She'll be okay,' Diggle sighed, 'but she's got a long road to get there first.'

Quentin winced, 'how bad?'

'She has three broken ribs,' Diggle ground out as they neared the private room, 'cheekbone, left ankle and four bones in her right hand also are broken. Numerous cuts and bruises.'

'Shit,' Quentin snapped, 'what the hell happened?'

'carjacking,' Diggle replied, 'Felicity treated herself to a new Mini a month ago. Three men ambushed her on the way home from work.'

'One is under guard downstairs,' Lance smirked briefly, 'your girl has moves. We have the second in custody, but the third guy is still in the wind.'

'That she does,' Diggle nodded as his hand reached out to grasp the door handle, a terrified look ghosting across his face momentarily, 'it could have been so much worse. We're lucky a cruiser happened to stumble across the scene.'

'But it wasn't,' Quentin answered, 'and she's going to be okay.'

'Thank god,' Diggle blew out a heavy laden breath, 'Oliver is inside, but he's not said much since she came out of surgery.'

'I know the feeling,' Quentin shook the former soldier's hand and slipped inside the small room. The scene before him hit him like a two by four as he was taken back to the agonising night that he'd spent at his younger daughter's bedside after an emergency appendectomy.

The room was bathed in a soft light from the lighting over Felicity's bed as she lay sleeping, various wounds visible. Turning his head to where he would have sat, Lance's training took in the posture of the man sat motionlessly in the uncomfortable chair, his unwavering gaze locked on the face of the woman laying in the bed.

'She's too quiet,' Oliver whispered, his voice thick and scratchy.

'I know,' Quentin nodded as he sat in the other chair across the room, 'By now there should have been half a dozen innuendo's or foot in mouth incidents.'

'The doctors say she should wake up soon,' Quentin heard the younger man's pain in his voice, 'I should have been with her.'

Quentin frowned, but stayed quiet as he recognised the younger man's need to vent.

'She's been helping me catch up on pop culture stuff I missed while playing Tarzan,' Oliver huffed, 'Her words, not mine. We were going to use Dig and the car to get to hers, but I was caught by a department head and I told her we'd meet her there.'

'You can't blame yourself Queen,' Lance leant forward as he spoke firmly, 'You did not send those three men to attack Felicity.'

'My family has been involved in bringing untold misery to the Glades,' Oliver's eyes flicked off Felicity's face briefly as they met Lance's, 'we have caused so much harm to those people. Put them in the position where they have to literally fight to survive in there.'

'If I remember the timeline,' Lance sighed, 'And to use her words, you were being Tarzan while most of that was going on.'

The only response from Oliver was a sigh as he continued his vigil over the bubbly blonde.

'Oliver?' Lance carefully spoke after a few minutes of silence, 'what happens when she wakes up?'

'I don't understand what you mean?' Oliver's brow furrowed, his face turning to the older man.

'When Felicity wakes,' Quentin gulped and sighed before continuing, 'Do I need to worry about you putting arrows into the third attacker?'

Quentin mentally smirked as he watched Oliver's eyes widen briefly in shock, 'do you think I'm an idiot? I was too gung-ho after you came back, but I was right, wasn't I?'

'How?' Oliver's posture slumped slightly.

'Sara,' Lance gulped, 'Things started clicking for me when she came back to me. Seeing how her time away from us had changed her, plus how the Arrow was allied with her, it made me reconsider how the Island had changed you and I could understand how you could see what you are doing as being a good thing. When you broke your no killing vow on the Count to save Felicity's life, it added to my suspicions. Your response just now was the final piece in the puzzle.'

'What are you going to do about it?' Oliver's voice held a hint of concern.

'Nothing I can do,' Quentin shrugged, 'You knew, didn't you? About the attack on the Glades?'

'My father and a crew member survived the sinking of the gambit,' Oliver spoke quietly, 'he knew that there wasn't enough food or water for three people, so he gave me a small book that I later discovered had names in it. He then killed the crew member and turned the gun on himself.'

'Shit.'

'But not before begging me to right his wrongs,' Oliver's voice wobbled, 'Fix the mistakes he'd made to our family and our city. So I did. I began hunting down those I could find on the list and I started handing out a warped type of justice on them.'

'I discovered my mother was connected and I tried to get her to talk,' Oliver winced, 'But she shot me.'

Quentin huffed, 'Damn.'

'Thats how she,' Oliver jerked his head towards the bed, 'ended up involved. I'd gone to her before that with a damaged laptop in the hope she could fix it. I told her I'd spilt my latte on it.'

Oliver shook his head as he breathed out a laugh, 'It would have worked had there not been numerous bullet holes in it. I came to her with a number of stupid excuses, like vertigo in a syringe being my buddy's new hangover cure, and she barely batted her eyelids. That's how I knew to pass out in her old Mini without worrying she'd take me to you.'

'Felicity has helped me,' Oliver stared at the bed, 'She made me see a better way, one with much less bloodshed. She helped me realise there was more to fixing the city than just dealing with the list. Most of the good I've done is because of her.'

'So no,' Oliver shook his head slowly, 'when she wakes and I go after the son of a bitch that did this, I won't kill him.'

'I wouldn't blame you for kicking his ass before you string him up for me to find,' Quentin shrugged, 'Saves me doing it when you hand him over, just promise me you won't batter his head too much, I find it causes problems when the perp's head is damaged.'

'Felicity was telling me about this Sky running thing about firing arrows into people's knees?' Oliver frowned, 'I don't understand it at all, but apparently it's a thing that would be funny if I started doing it.'

'Never worked that out either,' Quentin smirked, the two men sensing the ease at which they were talking, despite the years Quentin had spent blaming Oliver for Sara's death.

'If I'd know it would take getting beaten up for you two to start talking again,' A quiet voice rasped from the bed, 'I'd have done this sooner, 'A groan of pain escaped Felicity's lips as she tried to move, 'Oh god... Maybe not, do I look as bad as I feel?'

Instantly Oliver was alongside the bed, his hand grasping her less injured left hand carefully, 'you don't look that bad.'

'Liar,' Felicity scoffed, 'did I kill them? I tried using the thing you and Dig taught me, but they were too strong, and the third guy hit me on the head! Oh god! did they cut my hair?' Felicity's eyes widened as she registered the cast over her right hand, 'goddammit! This is going to make typing a bitch for months, how many bones did I break?'

'Too many,' Oliver answered thickly, 'i'm sorry Felicity, I should have been there with you. I should have told Gerald to see me in the morning and had you come in the car with us.'

'Oliver,' Felicity rasped, resulting in a lance hand holding a cup of water with a straw appearing in front of her face. Taking a few sips, she continued with her rebuke, 'don't you dare try and blame yourself for this. This was just an horrible fact of life. Sometimes random things happen, like finding a blueberry muffin in your box of chocolate ones or discovering your new shoes match up to about four separate outfits, or...'

'Felicity...'

'No Oliver,' The blonde glared, 'Stop trying to take the blame for every single thing that goes wrong in this city. You haven't failed it, not by a long shot.'

'I see what you meant Queen,' Lance chuckled warmly,'I should go let the third amigo in to see you. I'm glad to see that you are relatively okay Felicity, I hope to see you looking your usual beautiful self again the next time we meet.'

'Thank you for checking on me Quentin,' Felicity smiled just as warmly back.

Quentin returned the smile, 'Remember what I said Oliver, I don't want to find the third guy full of arrows in a few hours.'

'I'll remember,' Oliver chuckled at the look of utter shock on Felicity's face.

'I've known all along Felicity,' Quentin smirked as he left the room. Stepping outside, he smiled at Diggle, 'She's awake big guy.'

Sighing, Quentin walked down the corridor feeling more relaxed than he'd felt that day.

* * *

'Seriously?' Quentin stared up at the lamp post, the half naked unconscious bound man hanging from it by his feet.

'That's different,' A rookie cop frowned, 'I thought the Arrow killed perps?'

'I saw him when he returned from his little vacation after the Glades was hit,' Quentin answered, 'he handed over his catch of the night to me and told me he was trying a different way.'

'That includes stringing guys up by their feet dressed in women's lingerie?' Another cop chuckled.

'This is the third man from the Smoak carjacking case isn't it?' The rookie squinted at the man's face.

Quentin shrugged at the question, 'Maybe he's making a point about violence towards women?'

'Who cares,' the group busied themselves as Lt Pike appeared, 'Stop gawking and get him down!'

As the younger rookie went in search of a ladder, Quentin eyed the nearby rooftops. Spotting the familiar shape of Oliver perched on a nearby rooftop, He muttered, 'There's hope for you yet Queen.'


End file.
